Smart Lighting Accessories
The components that complete a smart lighting system
Hubs, smart switches, motion sensors, smart dimmers and remote controls. The accessory range covers everything beyond the bulb or fitting itself — the infrastructure that makes smart lighting actually work.
What's in the smart-accessories range
Smart bulbs and smart fittings are only half the picture. The other half is infrastructure: the controllers, sensors and switches that let the system work the way you want it to. This range covers the accessory layer.
Smart hubs and bridges
Wi-Fi smart lighting connects direct to your home router — no hub needed. But several major smart lighting systems (Philips Hue, IKEA Trådfri, SmartThings) use Zigbee instead, which needs a hub to connect Zigbee devices to your Wi-Fi and cloud services.
Philips Hue Bridge — the most common smart-lighting hub. Connects Hue and other Zigbee devices, enables Hue-specific features like entertainment mode.
Alexa Echo with Zigbee — certain Echo speakers have Zigbee built in, serving as both a voice assistant and a Zigbee hub.
SmartThings hub — Samsung's multi-protocol hub, supporting Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and increasingly Matter devices.
Matter controllers — the new interoperability standard. Any Matter controller (Apple Home hub, Google Home hub, Alexa Matter hub) can serve as the Matter controller for Matter-compliant fittings.
Smart switches and dimmers
Replace a standard wall switch or dimmer with a smart version. Keeps the familiar wall-switch operation while adding app and voice control at the switch level:
Smart on/off switches — replace a plain wall switch with a smart equivalent. The wall still works as an on/off; the smart layer adds app and voice control alongside. Useful where you want smart control of a whole circuit without swapping every bulb or fitting.
Smart dimmers — replace a standard dimmer with a smart dimmer compatible with the connected fittings. Gives touch-dimming at the wall plus app and voice dimming on top. Useful with non-smart fittings you want smart control over.
Battery-powered wall buttons — small wireless buttons that mount to a wall (often with adhesive) and trigger smart scenes when pressed. No wiring required. Good for adding an extra control point in a room where running new switch wiring isn't practical.
Motion and presence sensors
Smart motion sensors — dedicated PIR sensors that detect movement and trigger smart-lighting responses. Useful in bathrooms, hallways and walk-in wardrobes where you want hands-free lighting without a permanently-on fitting.
Presence sensors (occupancy) — newer generation sensors that detect occupancy, not just movement. Keep lights on while someone is stationary at a desk or in bed, turn them off when the room is genuinely empty.
Door/window sensors — trigger lights when a door opens. Useful for under-cabinet lighting in pantries, wardrobes and store cupboards.
Remote controls and remotes
Physical remotes for smart lighting systems — usually paired via Zigbee or Bluetooth to a smart bulb or hub. Covered in more detail under remote control smart lighting. The accessories range includes replacement remotes, multi-fitting remotes and brand-specific controllers.
Other accessories
Light strips and accent LEDs — under-cabinet and accent LED strips with smart integration. Tuneable white and colour-change options.
Smart plug-in adapters — plug a standard lamp into a smart plug to add basic smart on/off without changing the bulb. Useful for outdoor plug-in lighting and for lamps where smart bulbs aren't practical.
Power supplies and drivers — compatible LED drivers for integrated smart LED installations, sometimes needed when retrofitting smart control to professional-grade installations.
When you actually need smart accessories
Most casual smart-lighting installations don't need much from the accessory range beyond maybe a spare remote. You'd reach for the accessories category when:
Building out a larger smart-home system — hubs, switches and sensors that stitch the wider home together.
Upgrading existing smart lighting — replacing a faulty hub, adding a new control point, extending motion-sensor coverage.
Hybrid smart + standard installs — smart switches let you add smart control to circuits without changing bulbs or fittings.
Specific automation goals — motion sensors for automated hallway lighting, door sensors for pantry LEDs, presence sensors for home office lighting.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a hub for smart lighting?
Only for Zigbee or Z-Wave systems. Wi-Fi smart lights connect direct to the router. Bluetooth smart lights don't need a hub. Product pages confirm the connectivity and hub requirements.
Can I use Alexa Echo as a hub?
Some Echo models (Echo 4th gen, Echo Show 10, Echo Plus) have Zigbee built in and can serve as a hub for Zigbee devices. Other Echo models only act as a voice front-end for existing smart lighting and don't replace a dedicated hub.
What's the difference between a smart switch and a smart dimmer?
A smart switch does on/off only. A smart dimmer also handles dimming, either at the wall or via app. For rooms where you want dimming without replacing bulbs or fittings, a smart dimmer paired with dimmable LEDs gives full smart dimming. For simple on/off scheduling, a smart switch is cheaper.
Can I add a motion sensor to my existing smart lights?
Yes, if they're on the same smart-home platform. A motion sensor paired to Alexa can trigger any Alexa-compatible smart light. Same for Google Home and other platforms. This is one of the core smart-home use cases — local sensors triggering scenes across the home.
Related categories
- Smart Lighting — the full smart range
- Smart Light Bulbs — smart bulbs for existing fittings
- Remote Control — physical remote-controlled smart lighting
- Lighting Accessories — non-smart lighting accessories (roses, cords, lampholders)
- Interior Smart Lighting — smart fittings with accessories already built in